Take My Breath Away
by placethativebeendreamingof
Summary: anonymous prompted: first time kurt found out about blaine's asthma!panicky kurt and all Early!Klaine at Dalton. TW: some medical talk, but nothing squicky. Part of the Every Breath You Take 'verse. This one comes first in the 'verse, chronologically speaking.


anonymous prompted: first time kurt found out about blaine's asthma!panicky kurt and all

Early!Klaine at Dalton. TW: some medical talk, but nothing squicky. Part of the Every Breath You Take 'verse. This one comes first in the 'verse, chronologically speaking.

* * *

It had been three blissful weeks of dating Blaine. Every day brought something new and different and _wonderful_. Holding hands, lying on Blaine's bed doing homework together, hurried make out sessions in the 15 minutes after classes let out before Warblers' rehearsals started – it was all so fresh and exhilarating.

It was a small miracle Kurt wasn't failing every class, with all the distractions Blaine provided. One moment Kurt would be in the middle of class, taking diligent notes on the rise of the Roman empire when Blaine would yawn, flashing a sleepy grin at Kurt. The grin would naturally draw Kurt's attention to Blaine's lips and conjure up images of the many fantastic things they were capable of. Some nights Kurt would lay awake, mind buzzing with the realization that Blaine Anderson was his _boyfriend. _That simple revelation was enough to take his breath away.

Even now in Warbler's rehearsals, his thoughts kept drifting to Blaine. There'd been no time for a hurried make out session before practice because Blaine had to retrieve some forgotten thing from his dorm and Kurt was aching for some time alone with his boyfriend. He'd never known he could feel like this, that kissing could feel so electric, and he was already hopelessly addicted to Blaine.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Blaine stumble slightly, his movements out of sync with the other Warblers. For anyone else, it would be barely worth noticing. But Blaine _never_ messed up, even during rehearsals. Kurt was pretty sure that Blaine had come out of the womb knowing the melody, lyrics, and choreography for every pop song imaginable. "You okay?" Kurt mouthed to Blaine.

Blaine blushed, nodding sheepishly as he resumed dancing. But even from across the risers, Kurt could see the fine sheen of sweat that had broken out on Blaine's forehead. _Huh._

"Okay guys, that was great – we're going to run through it again, and try to make those movements a little sharper this time, alright?" Wes called from the front of the configuration. There were several good natured groans, but almost immediately everyone began walking back to their starting marks. Everyone that was, except for Blaine who bent at the waist, hands on his knees, seeming out of breath, letting out a hoarse, barking cough. And then another. And another.

Wes and David descended on Blaine before Kurt could make his way to him.

"Sit down, Blaine," Wes directed, guiding him to a seated position on the risers.

"I'm – fine," Blaine managed, face red.

"You're not," David gently corrected. "Pretty sure you're having an asthma attack."

"What?" Kurt gasped, kneeling at Blaine's side. "I didn't know you had asthma."

"Sorry," Blaine choked out, breaking off into another wheezing cough. "I didn't -"

"Shh," Kurt interrupted, rubbing Blaine's shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he soothed, even as he was fighting back his own panic.

Thad joined the small group of guys circled around Blaine. "Is he okay?" he asked David worriedly. "What can I do?"

"Can you let the other guys know practice is over and to clear out? And maybe some water would help?" David suggested, watching as Thad hurried off.

"Blaine, where's your inhaler?" Wes asked.

"M'pocket, but – it won't..." Blaine trailed off, chest heaving.

Kurt reached into Blaine's pocket, grabbing the small plastic inhaler and offering it to Wes.

Wes took the inhaler, pulling off the cap and shaking it vigorously. Kurt marveled at how familiar the Warblers seemed to be with Blaine's condition, wishing he knew how to help him.

"Here, Blaine, you need to use this now, okay?" Wes directed, passing the inhaler.

"I – already _did,_" Blaine panted, frustrated tears beginning to gather at the corners of his eyes as his chest continued to tighten.

"When?" David frowned, exchanging a concerned look with Wes that made Kurt's stomach lurch.

"Couple – times... Before practice," Blaine mumbled tiredly.

"Didn't help?" Kurt couldn't help but ask.

Blaine shook his head, biting his lip. "Kurt..." he called, voice breaking slightly.

Just from the way Blaine said his name, Kurt knew it was bad. To distract himself from his own anxiety, he grabbed Blaine's hand, stroking his thumb across his knuckles. "It's okay, it's going to be okay," he muttered under his breath, not sure if he was trying to reassure Blaine or himself. He listened, worry growing as Wes and David begin to discuss options in hushed tones.

"Should we call an ambulance?" David frowned.

"No, remember how long they took when Nick fell and broke his wrist? It took them 30 minutes just to find us. We need to get him help faster than that."

"So we drive him to the hospital?"

"I guess so," Wes murmured. "But who's going to drive? None of us have cars on campus."

"Blaine needs to go to the hospital?" Thad gasped. He made his way to Blaine, clutching a chilled bottle of water. "I – I got this for you," he offered, patting his knee awkwardly.

"Thanks," Kurt said, taking the water for Blaine who was still bent in half coughing weakly.

"Umm guys," Kurt interjected, "I have a car in the day student lot."

"You do?" David asked. "Okay good, we'll take it."

"I – have no idea where the hospital is," Kurt replied nervously.

"I can drive," Wes offered. "If that's okay with you?"

"Yeah, that would be good," Kurt agreed. He carefully extricated his hand from Blaine's grasp to reach for the keys in pocket. "It's okay, I'm right here," he soothed as Blaine whimpered, panicked when his connection with Kurt was lost. Kurt handed his keys over to Wes and immediately took Blaine's hand in his once more. Blaine slumped into him, obviously exhausted from the effort it was taking to breathe.

"What kind of car do you have?" Wes asked. "We can go get it and drive it up to the front entrance so you can stay with him."

"It's a black Cadillac Escalade. Thanks," Kurt answered gratefully.

"Thad, can you go talk to the house mother and let them know what's going on? They'll be wondering where we are if we're not back by bed check in."

"Okay, keep me posted?" Thad asked. "I hope you feel better soon, Blaine," he continued, squeezing Blaine's shoulder briefly before hurrying off.

"Alright, let's go," Wes said, turning to David.

"Wait," Kurt called, irrationally worried about being left alone with Blaine when he felt so completely unprepared to help him. "How are we going to get to the car?"

"I'll come get you when the car's out front. Just stay here. Everything's going to be okay," Wes directed, ever the leader. Given the circumstances, Kurt was grateful that someone like Wes was in charge and able to keep a cool head.

"Hey," Kurt whispered, turning to Blaine once they were alone. "Hanging in there?"

Blaine shook his head, chest heaving and eyes watery. It was enough to spread ice through Kurt's veins.

Kurt gripped Blaine's hand tighter, fighting to keep control and to be reassuring like he knew Blaine needed right now.

"We're going to get you to the hospital soon, honey," Kurt soothed, trying to keep his voice steady. He flushed as he realized the pet name that had slipped out unintentionally, having planned to use the term of endearment for the first time in much different circumstances. But Blaine seemed not to have noticed, so Kurt continued shakily, "...you're doing great. You're going to be fine."

Kurt put his arm around him and Blaine sagged into the embrace, letting Kurt hold most of his weight. He laid his head on Kurt's shoulder, whispering a desperate plea. "Don't – leave me," Blaine begged.

"I won't, I promise. I won't leave," Kurt answered immediately, letting Blaine grip his hand so hard he knew there would be bruises. They sat in silence for what felt like forever, the passing of time marked only by the steady ticking of the antique grandfather clock in one corner of the room. Even as unfamiliar with asthma as Kurt was, he could tell Blaine's breathing was getting worse, his gasps faster and shorter than they had been only minutes earlier.

Kurt looked down at Blaine, desperate to do anything to make him feel better. He felt sick, seeing how pale Blaine was, his eyes wide with fear as hot tears slid down his cheeks. He slid a gentle hand across Blaine's cheek, wiping away tears. "Not much longer," Kurt reassured, biting his lip.

Thankfully, David returned shortly. "We're parked right out front," he announced, eyes widening as he took in Blaine's state. "God – okay, let's hurry."

"Blaine, I'm going to help you stand up for a sec, okay? Just hold onto me," Kurt directed, voice shaking slightly. Once he was on his feet, Kurt lifted Blaine's arm, putting it around his neck and after a second, David did the same, the two of them supporting most of Blaine's weight between the two of them.

They began to head towards the front entrance as quickly as possible, spurred forward by the sound of Blaine's increasingly labored breathing.

"I've got you," Kurt whispered to Blaine. "Almost there."

Kurt felt dizzy with relief as they finally made it through the front door and he saw his SUV idling outside. With David's help, he climbed into the backseat with Blaine, his arms still wrapped around him protectively. He settled Blaine against him, lowering his head into his lap.

"Blaine?" he called gently. Blaine was pushing against him weakly, struggling to move for reasons Kurt couldn't understand. "It's okay, we're headed to the hospital now. Just try to relax and breathe."

Blaine shook his head, tears of frustration streaming down his cheeks as he lifted his head, eyes meeting Kurt's. Kurt inhaled sharply as he took in Blaine's pallor in bright sunlight, noticing that his lips were grey.

Wes tore his eyes from the road, glancing at Kurt and Blaine in the rearview mirror. "He needs to sit up," he explained to Kurt. "It'll make it easier to breathe."

"Oh," Kurt gasped, immediately tugging Blaine into a seated position, keeping his arm around him to support his weight. "Is that better, honey?" he asked, rubbing Blaine's back. Blaine gave a grateful nod, chest heaving as he drew short, quick breaths.

"I'm sorry," Kurt whispered, swallowing hard and trying to keep from crying. He felt so guilty and useless, having just unintentionally made things worse. _Some boyfriend I am_, he thought darkly, biting back a sob. He was still lost in thought when Blaine grabbed his hand again, clutching it for dear life. Kurt looked down at Blaine and the panic etched across his face and started praying to every higher power he didn't believe in to _please just get us there now, please let him be okay._

"Are we close? Please tell me we're almost there..." Kurt called from the backseat, hearing the fine tremors in his voice as he struggled to hold it together.

"Yeah, we're – well look," David answered. Kurt tore his eyes from Blaine reluctantly, nearly sobbing with relief as he saw the red emergency sign in the distance.

"We're pulling up to the hospital now, Blaine. You're going to be okay. Just hang on," Kurt whispered, squeezing Blaine's hand. He felt Blaine slump against him a little more, obviously exhausted from the effort it was taking to breathe.

"I'll run in and get help," David offered as Wes came to a screeching halt under the emergency room awning. He was out of the SUV and inside before Kurt could even reply. Wes put the car in park, undoing his seatbelt as he turned around to take a look at Kurt and Blaine. His eyes widened as he took Blaine's state in, quickly rearranging his features into a mask of composure. "You're doing great, Blaine," he reassured quickly, patting Blaine's knee. "The doctors are going to take really good care of you."

Suddenly, the backdoor to the SUV nearest Kurt and Blaine was flung open and a flurry of professionals descended, waiting with equipment and a gurney. Two of them reached for Blaine in tandem, trying to ease him from Kurt's lap and out of the car. Kurt reluctantly released Blaine's hand from his grasp. He was shocked when Blaine flailed, grabbing the nearest thing he could reach, the front of Kurt's shirt, holding on for dear life.

"I'm coming – I'm coming, honey," Kurt reassured. "I'm not leaving." But Blaine's eyes were still wild with panic as he tried to struggle from the nurse's grasp just as they were transferring him to the waiting gurney.

"It's okay, you're going to be fine," a nurse kept reassuring Blaine, trying to force him to lay back on the bed. "You need to lay back and let us help you," the doctor commanded.

Kurt climbed out of the car as quickly as he could, rounding the gurney to Blaine, grabbing his free hand. "I'm still here, Blaine. Just relax. I'm not leaving." Blaine stilled instantly, much to the relief of the medical professionals who began to quickly push Blaine inside, Kurt running beside them.

As they moved Blaine's gurney into a waiting treatment room, another nurse approached Kurt, trying to lead him away from Blaine. "Sir, you'll have to wait out here," she directed apologetically.

"I can't... I promised him," Kurt replied forcefully, clinging tighter to Blaine's hand.

"I'm sorry, but the policy is f-"

"He can stay," a doctor interrupted. "It'll keep the patient calm and I'd rather not sedate him."

"Thank you," Kurt breathed gratefully as someone rolled a small stool over to the bed, directing him to sit down and requesting that he try to stay out of the way.

Kurt passed the next half hour in quiet panic while chaos swirled around him and Blaine. Inside he was a mess, but he did everything he could think of to keep that from Blaine, biting the inside of his cheek until it bled and swallowing down sobs. The only thing that kept him together was the near constant reminder that Blaine needed him. First it was the oxygen mask that Blaine didn't want to keep on, panicked at anything covering his mouth when it was already so hard to breathe. So Kurt held it in place whenever necessary, whispering words of reassurance that he wasn't sure were even registering any longer. Then it was Blaine whimpering as a nurses tried to start an IV and draw blood. So Kurt stroked Blaine's hair, staring into his eyes and promising that it would be over soon, a million terrible memories from his childhood replaying in his mind.

Blessedly, the chaos died down at last, until the hushed silence of the room was interrupted only by the constant beeping of the monitors and the galloping thump of Kurt's heart.

The doctor took out his stethoscope, listening to Blaine's chest for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied. "He's doing better now," he said, turning to Kurt. "He just needs to rest. We'll keep him under observation for a few hours but he should be able to go home later tonight as long as his breathing stays stable."

"Oh thank god," Kurt gasped.

"Someone will be back to check on him in about 15 minutes – just hit the call light on the side of his bed if you need anything," the doctor said as he made his way to the door.

"I will – thank you," Kurt spoke gratefully. The door swung shut with a quiet thump, leaving Kurt alone with Blaine.

"Hey," Kurt spoke softly, looking down at Blaine and smoothing a hand across his temple.

"Hey," Blaine echoed, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

"Feeling a little better?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah, a lot actually," Blaine murmured.

"Good." Kurt shook his head ruefully, stomach still churning from the overwhelming panic and fear of the past hour. "God Blaine, you scared me so badly."

Blaine swallowed hard, eyes fluttering closed for a long moment. When he opened them again, his eyes were wet and apologetic. "I'm so sorry, Kurt. I should have t-"

"No sweetheart, _no_ – don't be sorry," Kurt interrupted. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Still, I should have said something to you sooner," Blaine managed, hand reaching for his oxygen mask and tugging it down off his nose and mouth, trying to make it easier for Kurt to understand what he was saying. "You're my boyfriend, after all."

"Blaine, stop," Kurt directed, a bit more forcefully this time. He reached down and replaced the oxygen mask. "You've got to leave this on, okay? The doctor said you need to rest now - we can talk later. But honestly, you have nothing to apologize for or explain."

Blaine gazed at Kurt, his eyes still wide with worry. Not knowing what else to do to soothe him, Kurt leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. Blaine sighed softly and as Kurt pulled back, he could see the tension beginning to drain from his body. "Try to sleep now, okay?" he asked, stroking Blaine's hair.

Blaine nodded drowsily, eyes falling to half mast. "You'll stay?" he asked.

"Of course," Kurt answered instantly, squeezing Blaine's hand. "Just close your eyes."

"'Kay," Blaine murmured, nuzzling his cheek against the pillow, his eyes fluttering shut. "Love you."

Kurt took in a stunned inhale, completely unprepared to hear those words from Blaine for the first time under such circumstances. He was still trying to formulate a response when Blaine let out a quiet snore, clearly already asleep. "Me too," he whispered, lifting their intertwined hands and pressing a kiss to Blaine's palm.

For a long while, Kurt sat in silent reverie, eyes stinging with unshed tears as he watched the reassuring rise and fall of Blaine's chest. It was impossible to quiet his mind, however, with the persistent doubts and worries buzzing through his head. Once he was sure that Blaine was sound asleep, he carefully pried his fingers from his grasp, walked to the corner of the room, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He typed out a quick text to David and Wes, updating them on Blaine's condition, before he dialed a phone number from memory.

"Dad?" he said as soon as the call connected, his voice shaky.

"Hey Kurt, everything okay?" Burt asked.

"No," Kurt practically sobbed. "I – I'm okay, but I'm at the hospital...with Blaine."

"What happened? Is he okay?'

"He had a bad asthma attack during rehearsal tonight and he -," Kurt paused, shaking his head as he looked over at Blaine, still fast asleep. "Dad, I didn't know he even _had_ asthma and I had no idea what I was doing or how to help him. It was really..."

"...scary?" Burt finished for Kurt.

"Yeah, very scary."

"I'll bet. But I'm sure you did great with everything. You were always better with the medical stuff when it came to your mom than me. Not to mention that you practically turned into a cardiologist when I had my heart trouble."

Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes at the euphemism "heart trouble" when what had really occurred was a massive heart attack that had put his father in a medically induced coma. "I don't know..."

"Well, how's he doing now?" his dad probed.

"Better – a lot better. He's sleeping now. The doctor said his breathing has improved and that he can probably go home in a couple of hours."

"See then – you can't have done all that badly if he's fine now. Did you call his parents?"

"Wes did. Apparently his mother is out of town and his father was on a conference call and unreachable. The guys didn't seem too surprised by that though. It's not the first time he's been sick or in the hospital and they didn't come. We'll probably just take him back to the dorms when he's released and keep an eye on him ourselves."

"What kind of parents don't drop everything and run when their kid's in the hospital?" Burt scoffed. "Nevermind that now," he continued, "obviously we'll take Blaine in for the weekend since his parents can't be bothered."

"Are you sure, dad? I mean – that would be great if you don't mind."

"Of course I'm sure. I'll tell Carole to make up the guest bed for him when we get off the phone. Blaine's important to you, right?"

Kurt gazed at Blaine, sleeping obliviously, and swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Yeah Dad, he is."

"Well then, he's important to me too," Burt replied simply.

"Okay... Thanks, Dad. Hey speaking of Carole, do you mind if talk to her for a second? I still don't really get all this asthma stuff, but I want to. I'm hoping she can explain it to me?"

"Sure, buddy – just give me one sec. And I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, I'll text you when they are getting ready to release Blaine." Kurt waited impatiently as Burt handed the phone over to Carole with a hushed explanation.

"Hey sweetheart, how are doing?" Carole greeted him gently.

"I'm...okay, I guess. Just worried about Blaine."

"Of course. Burt said he had an asthma attack, but didn't tell me much else. What happened, exactly?"

"He started coughing a lot during Warblers' rehearsal and he just couldn't stop. So Wes and David had him sit down and use his inhaler, but he said he'd already used it three or four times and it wasn't helping."

"Mhmm yeah, that's typically when we'd tell a patient to go to the hospital, especially if they aren't able to breathe well enough to carry on a conversation," Carole said.

"No, he definitely couldn't talk...or breathe, for that matter. So we helped him into the car and drove him to the hospital."

"You did the right thing," Carole reassured him.

"It wasn't me calling the shots, honestly – it was Wes and David. They were clearly familiar with Blaine's asthma and knew what to do. But I want to learn, Carole. I want to know how to be there for him next time so I can help him, and hopefully be less scared too."

"I'm happy to give you a crash course this weekend, honey."

"That would be great," Kurt murmured. "I'd really appreciate it."

"So how's he doing now? Do you know what treatment they're giving him?" Carole asked.

"Uhh, I don't know any of the technical terms, but he's got an oxygen mask on?"

"Is there mist coming out of it too?"

"Yeah."

"That means they are doing a nebulizer. It's got albuterol in it, a medication that helps open up his airways. It's the same medicine that's in his inhaler, just delivered in a different way. "

"Okay," Kurt nodded, doing his best to commit the new information to memory. "What else?"

"Well, I'm assuming he has an IV too?" Carole asked and Kurt hummed a quiet affirmation. "They use that to give him fluids and they probably are also giving him some kind of steroid to help calm down the inflammation in his airways. That'll help make sure his breathing doesn't get worse again once he leaves the hospital."

"So he's going to be okay?" Kurt asked, his voice small. It wasn't that he didn't trust the doctors, but life had taught him to expect the worst, especially when the health of the people he loved was at stake.

"It sounds like they've got him stabilized and they're doing all the right things, yes," Carole steadied Kurt. "Did they say anything about when they'd release him?"

"Yeah, the doctor said that they'd keep him under observation for a few hours to make sure his breathing didn't get worse again, but that he'd probably go home tonight."

"That's good. Sounds like you have nothing to be worried about," Carole soothed. "You should just let Blaine rest and try to do the same if you can and then Burt and I can give you both plenty of TLC this weekend, okay?"

Kurt smiled, despite himself. "Sounds great, Carole. Thanks." Kurt's head snapped up at the sound of Blaine stirring, body shifting and searching for something. "Carole? I need to go – Blaine's waking up. I'll text you and Dad once I know more."

"Alright sweetheart, see you soon."

Kurt hung up the phone and was at Blaine's side in an instant, stroking his hair just as Blaine's eyes fluttered open.

"Kurt?" Blaine rasped sleepily, reaching for Kurt.

"Yes, I'm here, honey," Kurt replied, taking Blaine's hand in his. "Doing okay? Do you need anything?"

"Thirsty," Blaine whispered hoarsely.

Kurt nodded, locating a stack of paper cups near the sink and carefully filling one with water. He grabbed a straw and unwrapped it, dropping it into the cup. Then he perched on the stool at Blaine's bedside once more, bringing the straw to Blaine's lips and encouraging him to drink.

"Thanks," Blaine said, blushing, once he'd drunk his fill.

"How're you feeling?" Kurt asked, sitting the cup of water on a bedside table and resuming the slow, rhythmic stroking across Blaine's temple.

"Okay," Blaine answered truthfully. "Just tired. My chest hurts a little too...but it's much better than before."

Kurt nodded sympathetically. "Well hopefully we can get you out of here soon and into a proper bed. Sound good?"

"Yeah, although the dorm mattresses aren't all that much different or more comfortable than this one, to be quite honest."

"Well, that's the thing..." Kurt began tentatively. "Wes and David tried to contact your parents b-"

"...but they don't give a shit about me so of course they were unreachable?" Blaine finished, laughing ruefully. He looked at Kurt's wide eyes and concerned face, mentally cursing himself for having been so blunt. Not to mention the fact that he'd just _cursed_ in front of Kurt.

"Sorry Kurt, I shouldn't have said anything," Blaine apologized.

"No no, I totally agree. Pardon me for saying this, Blaine, but your parents are kinda _assholes_."

"They can be," Blaine agreed. "But what were you trying to say before I interrupted you?"

"My dad and Carole think you should come home with me for the weekend," Kurt replied nervously. He knew it was a big step, having Blaine spend a whole weekend with his family, staying in his home. His dad had met Blaine briefly twice, but this was different.

"Oh Kurt, that's so sweet of them, but they don't have to-" Blaine began.

"I know they don't have to, but they _want_ to. _We_ want to," Kurt amended. "Carole's a nurse so you'll be in good hands and I want -" he stopped himself, shaking his head. Finally, he looked at Blaine, meeting his gaze as he asked, "just let me take care of you, okay?"

"I – okay," Blaine said, swallowing hard. "If you're sure I won't be an imposition to your family."

"Not at all, I promise. Do you want to know what my dad said when I called him?" he asked Blaine who nodded in reply. "He asked me if you were important to me and I said that you were. So then he said 'if he's important to you, he's important to me.'"

"Really?" Blaine asked, voice hushed and awed.

"Yes, really. You know how important you are to me, right? If anything happened to you, Blaine, I'd be a wreck. I couldn't bear it."

"But I'm okay, Kurt. Really," Blaine soothed, reaching up his free hand and stroking Kurt's cheek.

"I know, I know," Kurt replied, somehow still feeling the relief seep into his body as he heard those words from Blaine's mouth.

"I'm glad you're here," Blaine smiled, eyes crinkling in the way that always made Kurt go weak in the knees.

"I'm glad I'm here too. Although, let's try not to end up here again, at least for a while, okay?" Kurt teased. "If you want to spend the weekend with me, next time just ask."

"I'll keep that in mind," Blaine chuckled. "A whole weekend with you to myself though? Totally worth a visit to the emergency room."

"You're ridiculous."

"Just one of my many charms, yet somehow you still love me anyways." Blaine went red as a beet once he realized what he'd said, his mouth running ahead of his brain. "I – uh – I didn't mean..."

"Shh," Kurt comforted Blaine, feeling braver knowing that those words loomed large in Blaine's brain as well. To stop his stammer and blush, Kurt leaned down impulsively, tugging down Blaine's oxygen mask for a quick kiss. "I really do, you know," Kurt murmured as he pulled away, his eyes finding Blaine's as he replaced the oxygen mask.

"You – you do?" Blaine managed, eyes wide. "I – you too."

"Good," Kurt giggled, warmth surging through his body.

"God Kurt, you take my breath away," Blaine said, the words tumbling out as if he was powerless to stop them.

"Sure that's not just the asthma talking?" Kurt teased.

"No," Blaine gasped. "It's you – it's always been you, since the first day I met you on the staircase."

"Took you long enough to figure it out though," Kurt laughed.

"I know, I know, you're never going to let me live that one down, huh?" Blaine asked, trying to hold back a yawn.

"Probably not – but you can try to make it up to me by getting some more sleep."

"If you insist," Blaine mumbled, sighing appreciatively as Kurt carded his fingers through his hair.

As Blaine drifted off to sleep, the merest hint of a smile still on his lips, Kurt let out breath, telling himself the same thing he'd been saying since Blaine fell ill in the choir room. _He's okay. He's going to be okay. _But this time, Kurt could finally believe it was true.


End file.
